Have you ever wondered how a super rare Pokemon card like the Pikachu Illustrator stacks up against the massive growth in global wealth? This card is one of the holy grails of collecting, and its tiny supply makes it a standout even as the world’s money piles up higher every year.[1][2]
First, lets talk numbers on the card itself. The Pikachu Illustrator comes from a 1998 Japanese illustration contest where only the top 39 winners got one. Experts believe just 13 to maybe 100 copies exist in total today, with only a handful graded in top shape by services like PSA.[2] One perfect PSA 10 version made headlines when YouTuber Logan Paul bought it for over 5 million dollars in 2022, and its value has stayed sky-high because no more are being made.[2][3][4] That scarcity is key, since fresh print runs for newer cards like the 2024 Pikachu promo number 214 happen all the time, with sales popping up weekly at prices from 12 to 137 dollars depending on condition.[1]
Now, picture global wealth. It has exploded over the past 25 years. Back in 1998 when the Pikachu Illustrator dropped, the total wealth held by everyone on Earth was around 200 trillion dollars. Fast forward to 2025, and that figure has ballooned past 500 trillion dollars, more than doubling thanks to stock markets, tech booms, and real estate surges. Rich lists like Forbes show billionaires multiplying, with their combined net worth jumping from under 1 trillion in the late 90s to over 14 trillion today.
Yet the Pikachu Illustrators fixed supply means its rarity ratio to all that wealth keeps getting crazier. In 1998, with 39 cards and 200 trillion in global wealth, there was roughly one card per 5 trillion dollars of wealth. Today, with the same 39 cards chasing 500 trillion dollars, its now one per over 12 trillion dollars. That makes each known copy relatively rarer by a factor of more than two, even as millionaires scoop up collectibles left and right.[2][4] Collectors like the guy building Israels top Pokemon stash point out that hype from celebs like Logan Paul drives prices, but true value comes from that unchanging low count paired with cultural buzz.[4]
For everyday hunters on PokemonPricing.com, this contrast highlights why chasing Illustrator-level rarities feels like a long shot. Newer promos trade hands daily with steady prices, but icons like this Pikachu sit in vaults, their value swelling as global riches grow without adding a single extra card to the mix.[1][5] Prices for top-tier rarities keep climbing because supply stays locked while demand rides the wealth wave, turning a contest prize into a multi-million-dollar asset that outpaces everyday investing for the ultra-lucky few who own one.
